Land leveler with coordinated wheel adjustment means



Jan. 2, 1951 c. WHITTIER 2, ,405

LAND LEVE ER WITH CUORDINATED WHEEL ADJUSTMENT MEANS Filed Nov. 28, 19473 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. CL v0. WH/ rr/H? BY MIX Arromvzy,

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Jan. 2, 1951 c. WHITTIER LAND LEVEL-ER WITH COORDINATED WHEEL ADJUSTMENTMEANS Filed NOV. 28, 1947 C. WHITTIER Jan. 2, 1951 LAND LEVELER WITHCOORDINATED WHEEL ADJUSTMENT MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 28, 1947INVENTOR. C4 Y0: W/f/TT/ER. v

ATTORNL'V- Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED LAND LEVELER WITH COORDINATE!)WHEEL ADJUSTMENT MEANS Clyde Whittier, Monte Vista, 0010.. assignor ofone-half to H. E. Schall, Monte Vista, Colo.

Application November 28, 1947, Serial No. 788,337

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a land leveling device, and has for itsprincipal object the provision of a leveler which will have anexceedingly long leveling blade so that swaths over one hundred feet inlength can be leveled at one time. This great width serves a doublepurpose: first, it speeds up the operation of leveling large land areas;second, the greater the width of the blade, the more perfectly theleveling can be done, since all of the area within the blade Width canbe brought to a perfect level simultaneously.

Another object of the invention is to provide a land leveler of greatwidth which will not bow or bend in any direction throughout its length.

A still further object is to provide an accurate, easily and centrallycontrolled mechanism for bringing the leveling blade into exactadjustment both for level operation and depth of out.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of theinvention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency.These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is hadto the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numeralsrefer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout thedescription.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved leveling device;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the leveling blade and drawbar attachment;

. Fig. 3 is a cross-section, taken on the line 3--3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the improved leveling device;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5, Fig. l; and

Fig. 6 is an end View of the improved land leveling device.

The main frame of the leveler is formed of tubing and consists of threelongitudinal truss 2 rigid structure, since all of the truss membersresist bending in all directions.

A curved scraper blade i6 is fixedly mounted along the front face of thelower truss tube The scraper blade and the truss structure are supportedabove the ground by means of a pair of front wheels H and two pairs ofrear Wheels 48.

The front wheels are mounted on a caster dolly i9 which is mounted onthe lower extremity of a vertical pivot shaft 45. The shaft is rotatablymoun ed in a pivot tube 2|]. The pivot tube 20 is rigidly connected withthe upper and lower truss tubes iii and H by means of a forward trussbracket 2|. The pivot tube 20 can be raised and lowered with referenceto the caster dolly i9 by means of a threaded jack shaft 22 operatedfrom a hand wheel 23. The jack shaft is threaded through a cap nut 44fixed to the top of the tube 2! The lower extremity of the jack screwbears against the upper extremity of the pivot shaft 45.

The pairs of rear wheels I8 are mounted in caster brackets 24 which aremounted on the lower extremities of pivot shafts 25. The pivot shaftsare vertically slidable and rotatable within vertical guide tubes 26,The guide tubes are rigidly supported in a vertical position by means ofrear bracket trusses 27 from the upper truss tube 1 f! and the reartruss tube I2.

The tubes 26 can be lifted on the pivot shafts 25 by means of a cable28. The extremities of the cable 23 are attached to the two guide tubes26, as shown at 29. From each attachment, the cable passes over a postsheave 39, there being one of the sheaves 3!! in the top of each of theshafts 25. From each sheave 30, the cable 28 passes downwardly under aguide sheave 3|, there being one guide sheave mounted on each of theguide tubes 26. From each guide sheave 3|, the cable passes over anidler sheave 32, thence around a winch drum 33 mounted on a platform 34at the middle of the leveler. The winch drum can be rotated by hand bymeans of a hand wheel 35.

It can be seen that if the hand wheel 35 is 1'0- tated in one direction,it will let out the cable to one of the shafts 25 and take in the cableto the other of the shafts 25, so that the opposite ends of thetriangular truss can be raised and lowered alternately. The pairs ofrear wheels l8 are positioned adjacent the outer extremities of thetriangular truss frame, and the pair of front wheels i1 is placedadjacent the middle of the truss frame, This causes the front wheels toact as a tilting fulcrum to allow the blade I6 to be tilted up and downat its extremities.

The improved leveler is designed to be drawn by two towing vehicles,such as Caterpillar tractors or the like. The towing vehicle areattached to the leveler by means of swinging draw bars 36, terminatingat their forward extremities in tractor hitch links 3'5. The rearextremity of each draw bar 36 is mounted on a hinge pin 38 carried byhinge ears secured on a rotatable tube 39 surrounding a vertical pivotshaft 40. The pivot shafts 19 are mounted in brackets 4| extending fromthe upper and lower truss tubes 1 9 and II, respectively.

The draw bars are positioned oneachsideof the center and adjacent theextremities of the leveler and are supported irom the tubes 39'by meansof adjustable bracket arms 42. The lower extremities of thebracketiarmsca-n-beattached in any desired one of a series of adjustmentholes 43 to vary the height of the draw bars 39. This allows the drawbars to be adjusted in height to uit'thep'articular towing vehicle,andalso allows them to swing laterally with the sideward movements ofthe towing vehicle.

In use, the height of the scraper blade 16 is pre-set by means "of thehand wheel 23. The level oi-pitch of the bladeispre-set by means 'ofthehand wheel 35. The device is then drawn over the land by the two towingvehicles through the medium-of the draw bars 33.

While'a specific form of theimprovementhas been desjcribed andillustrated herein, it is desired to be un'clerstoocl that the same maybe varied, within the scope of theappended claims, without departingfrom 'the'spirit of the invention. Having thus described the invention,what is "claimedand desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A'l'and leveler comprising: an "elongated laterally extending trussedframe; a relatively long, straight scraper 'bladepermanently securedalong the lower front edge of the truss frame; 'afront wheel bracketextending forwardlyfromthe middleofsaid truss frame; arear wheelbracketextending rearwardly from adjacent each extremity of saidtrussframe; front caster wheels rotatably mounted-on said front wheelbracket; a vertical guide tube carried by each of said rear wheelbrackets; a vertical pivot post rotatably mounted-in and extendingdownwardly-from each of said guide tubes; a caster dollyon the lowerextremity of each pivot post; ground-engaging 'wheels mounted on said"caster dollies; and means for oppositely raising and lowering saidguide tubescn said-pivot posts eas to simultaneouslyraisebne-endof'sai'd blade'and lower the other :end thereof, said frontwheels actin =as a tilting fulcrum.

2. A land leveling machine comprising: .an elongated truss frame;:a-scraper blade mounted on and extending downwardly from "said framethroughout its length; afrontwheel bracket :ex- 0 tending forwardly fromthe middle :of said frame; 'arear wheel bracket extending rearwardlyfrom 4 adjacent each extremity of said frame; front caster wheelssupporting said front wheel bracket; vertical pivot tubes carried bysaid rear wheel brackets rearwardly of said blade; pivot shaftsextending vertically through said tubes; rear caster wheels mounted onthe lower extremities of said pivot shafts, said pivot shafts extendingupwardly and downwardly from said guide tubes; a cable sheave mounted onthe upper extremity of each pivot shaft; a winch drum mounted on saidtruss frame; and a cable extending from each guide tube over the sheaveof that pivot shaft and around said winch drum so that rotation of saiddrum will simultaneously raise one guide tube and lower the other.

3. A land leveling machine comprising: an

elongated truss frame; a scraper blade mounted on and extendingdownwardly from said frame throughout its length; a front wheel bracketextending forwardly from the middle of said frame;

"a rear wheelbracket extending rearwardly -from "adjacent each extremityof said frame; front caster wheels supporting said front wheel bracket;

vertical pivot "tubes carried by said rear wheel brackets rearwa'rdly ofsaid blade; pivot shafts extending vertically through said tubes; rearcaster wheels mounted j on the lower extremity of said pivotshafts, saidpivot shafts "extending upwardly anddownwardly from said guide tubes; acable sheave mounted onthe upper extremity ofeach pivot shaft; a winchdrum mounted on said trus frame; a cable extending from each guide tubeover the sheave of that pivot shaft and around said'w inch drum so thatrotation-of said drum will simultaneously raise one guide tube and lowerthe other; and athreaded jack shaft carried 'by'said front wheelbracketand "ar- -rangedto raise and lower the front wheel bracket "withreference to said front wheels.

CLYDE WI-IITTIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record i-n-the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

